16pt Postcards
16pt postcards are our premium card: thicker and stiffer than 14pt and noticeably heavier in the hand, yet they mail at the same postage as a 14pt card of the same size.
At a glance
Mailing adds about $0.438 per piece (mailing services + postage). See the breakdown
Heavier 16pt cards for a more substantial feel. Same USPS size rules as any card: 4.25 x 6 in for the retail postcard price, up to 6 x 9 in for the commercial card price when presorted; beyond that it prices as a letter.
Postcards are typically the fastest product on the floor. See turnaround times.
Price and order
Choose each option in turn, then a quantity. The price shows before you add to cart. No account needed.
Sizes 4" x 6", 4.25" x 6", 5" x 7", 5.5" x 8.5", 6" x 9", 6" x 11" and 33 more4" x 6", 4.25" x 6", 5" x 7", 5.5" x 8.5", 6" x 9", 6" x 11" and 23 more that mail
Stock 16pt
Mailing Mails as a USPS mailpiece; choose Print + Mail below to have it addressed and mailed
Start over Prices from Plavidian's current price guide. A proof is emailed before anything prints. At checkout you say how to reach you and whether to ship or hold for pickup; the order is invoiced and paid before production.
Need a size or stock not listed? Get a custom quote. No artwork yet? Design it online and send it straight into the order. Already a Plavidian customer? Price it in your account.
About 16pt postcards
The extra thickness does more than add durability. A 16pt card flexes less than a thinner stock, holds a crisp edge, and has a weight the recipient notices before reading a word. For a luxury offer, a high-dollar donor ask, or a brand that wants its mail to feel like its product, that first impression is the reason to choose 16pt.
The rigidity also protects the print: heavy solids and edge-to-edge photography sit flatter and show fewer handling marks through the mailstream on 16pt than on lighter stock. With a UV or matte coating on top, a 16pt card looks and feels high-end.
A postcard mailing gets the same list work as our largest jobs. The list is CASS-standardized, deduplicated, and matched to carrier routes (NCOA updating is an option), and postage is optimized and mapped. Camera verification is available as an add-on: it reads each piece as it runs and reconciles the count against your list. A short run still comes with the documentation of a large mailing.
Thickness does not change the postage: USPS sets the class by size, so a 16pt card mails at the same rate as a 14pt card of the same dimensions. What you pay for is the feel of the card, which is why 16pt suits a smaller audience where each piece has to do more.
How 16pt postcards mail
Size decides the rate, and the rate decides the budget. Up to 4.25x6 inches mails at the retail First-Class card rate. Since July 12, 2026 a presorted or automation First-Class mailing can use the commercial card price on cards up to 6x9 inches that meet USPS thickness and automation requirements; 6x11 and anything larger mails as a letter, where Marketing Mail presort usually wins on cost at volume. The address side needs a clear barcode zone in the lower right and an address block that survives the postage indicia. We price the First-Class card rate against a presorted Marketing Mail letter from your actual list, so you know which costs less before anything mails.
How the mailing gets ordered
- Order the printing above. The price on this page is the printing. Choose Print + Mail in the order panel and the order opens a Print and Mail job; choose Print only and it is a print job you pick up, have delivered or shipped.
- Upload your mailing list at checkout. CSV, Excel or a text file, attached to the item as you order. No list yet? Leave it. The job is created either way and you can send it afterwards.
- Say when you want it to mail. A requested mailing date is part of the same step and goes onto the job.
- Your list goes straight into the mailing analysis. As soon as it arrives it is queued for the full address and postage pass, and the job page updates as it runs.
- Nothing mails until you have signed off on the mailing. Mail class, permit, postage and the mailing date are confirmed with you first, and a proof is approved before it prints.
- One job, one invoice. Mailing services and postage are billed on the same job as the printing.
- Printing is paid by card; postage by check or wire. Only the printing can go on a card. USPS postage is paid by check or wire transfer, and no mail is released to USPS until the full postage has been received in cleared funds.
See Price & Order Check the mailpiece templates Estimate postage free
What the mailing adds
On top of the printing price, per piece. Both figures are read live from Plavidian's own price sheet and from the USPS rate notice loaded in our system.
| Piece | Mailing services | Postage | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter-size pieces4" x 6", 4.25" x 6", 5" x 7", 5.5" x 8.5", 6" x 9", 6" x 11" | $0.043$42.50 per 1,000 | $0.395Automation 5-Digit | $0.438 |
- Mailing services cover list and mail prep, the postal paperwork, tray, sack and pallet prep, and addressing every piece. Priced separately on the same sheet: NCOA, tabbing, and folding and inserting. Plavidian Insight™ piece tracking comes with every mailing.
- Per job there is a $25.00 mailing job setup, and mailing services carry a $175.00 job minimum, so a short run pays the minimum rather than the per-piece rate.
- Postage is USPS Marketing Mail at the commercial rate, entered at origin rather than drop-shipped, from USPS Notice 123 effective July 12, 2026.
- It can be less. A qualifying nonprofit pays $0.185. Trucking the mail to the destination facility instead of entering it here brings it to $0.374 (a drop-ship charge applies). Saturating whole carrier routes goes as low as $0.255.
Indicative, not a quote. What a mailing really earns depends on the list, how densely it sorts and where it is entered, which is why Plavidian prices the postage against your actual list and confirms it with you before anything mails.
Common uses for 16pt postcards
Retail & service offers
Grand openings, promotions, and appointment reminders with an offer code or QR that ties response back to the drop.
Political persuasion & GOTV
Big image, short message, and no envelope between the voter and the argument. We produce the cards to in-home dates that line up with the election calendar.
Reorders & recurring programs
Monthly reminders and repeat promotions reorder from saved artwork sized to the exact product they ran on, with no re-setup.
Before you order
- 16pt is the premium caliper: noticeably heavier and more rigid in the hand than 14pt
- Postage is identical to 14pt at the same size; the extra thickness is for feel and brand impact
- Best for high-value offers, donor asks, and premium brands where each impression matters
- Leave the lower-right address zone clean: the barcode clear zone (about 4.75 x 0.625 in) is checked in preflight
- Add a UV (high-gloss) or matte coating to finish the 16pt stock
- Reorders start from your saved artwork, sized to the exact product it ran on
Why this is not the cheapest price you will find
Every job goes through the same checks, however small it is. We are a USPS Full-Service certified mail service provider, and the judgment that comes with that is applied to a 500-piece order the same way it is to a 500,000-piece one.
- Your artwork is checked before it prints. Size, bleed, resolution, color space, and on a mailpiece the address and barcode clearances that decide the postage rate.
- A proof is emailed and nothing prints until you approve it. No job goes to press on an assumption.
- If it mails, the postage is planned, not discovered. Piece shape, list quality, presort and entry point are what set that bill, and they are decided before anything is printed.
16pt Postcards FAQs
What is the cheapest way to mail a postcard?
At volume, a presorted Marketing Mail letter-size postcard (6x9 or 6x11) usually beats the First-Class card rate. We price both from your actual list so the comparison is real, not a rule of thumb.
What postcard sizes can you print and mail?
From 4x6 up through 6x11 as standard, plus custom trims. Size drives the postage class, so we help you pick the size that hits your budget and your in-home date, not just the one that looks biggest.
Can you print today and mail tomorrow?
No. Printing starts once the proof is approved and takes production days, and mailing services follow. A 2-day rush is available on certain products up to a set quantity - the order form offers it where it applies. Tell us the in-home date you need and we work backward from it.
Do you check my artwork before printing?
Yes. Preflight verifies size, bleed, resolution, and the USPS address and barcode zones, and flags problems before production, not after.
Can each postcard be personalized?
Yes. Variable data can change the image, the offer, and the recipient details on both sides in the same press pass, which is how targeted and split-test drops are produced.
Do you provide the mailing list?
We can supply consumer, business, new-mover, and saturation lists by geography or selection, or process a list you already own with CASS, NCOA, and deduplication before it mails.
Often ordered together
Ready to print?
Configure your 16pt postcards, see the price and order online. Card payment, proof by email, no account needed.
See Price & OrderNo artwork yet?
Lay it out in Plavidian Studio™ in your browser at the right size and bleed, then send it straight into the order.
Design OnlineNeed something different?
A size or stock that is not listed, unusual finishing, or a mailing program that needs planning? Send the specs and a person will price it.
Request a Custom Quote